Talent

What Warehouse Workers Want: Absenteeism Does Not Make the Heart Grow Fonder

Sept. 25, 2016

Earlier this year, our ProLogistix team surveyed nearly 5,400 warehouse workers nationally, across multiple skill categories and representing a wide range of logistics companies. In the first two articles in this series on the ProLogistix Warehouse Employee Opinion Survey, we stated our primary goal of the project: to gain insight into critical workforce issues to help our clients make informed decisions as they staff their operations and strive for improved productivity.

Gary Glaser

Earlier this year, our ProLogistix team surveyed nearly 5,400 warehouse workers nationally, across multiple skill categories and representing a wide range of logistics companies.

In the first two articles in this series on the ProLogistix Warehouse Employee Opinion Survey, we stated our primary goal of the project: to gain insight into critical workforce issues to help our clients make informed decisions as they staff their operations and strive for improved productivity.

We covered the overriding importance of fair and competitive starting hourly pay (ranked #1 in importance to the workforce), job security (#2) and enjoy the work (#3).

Next, we reported results on these topics: why people leave a job, the dynamics of shift differentials, health insurance coverage, and finally, the long term challenge of keeping pay-rates from losing ground to the rising costs of living.

Three more topics from the survey results deserve attention:

1. Absenteeism

In this anonymous survey, the average number of days that associates believe it is acceptable to miss work is fewer than 2 days per year.

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We believe this is an encouraging affirmation of job commitment!

2. Paid Time Off

An overwhelming 87.5% of respondents prefer PTO over the equivalent in pay increases—a reminder, if nothing else perhaps, of the importance of work/life balance.

Industryweek Com Sites Mhlnews com Files Uploads 2016 04 What Workers Want3 Chart2

3. Shift Preferences

There are very strong preferences towards traditional shift schedules (and against 12-hour shift work), results worthy of study for those logistics companies contemplating schedule changes in this very challenging recruiting market.

Industryweek Com Sites Mhlnews com Files Uploads 2016 04 What Workers Want3 Chart3

In our fourth and last article in the series on the ProLogistix Warehouse Employee Opinion Survey, we will share some final thoughts and recommendations on how to take these survey results and apply them in your facility.

Gary Glaser is division vice president for ProLogistix, the Logistics Specialty Division of EmployBridge, a light industrial staffing company. EmployBridge also operates other specialty divisions focused on the supply chain: ResourceMFG (manufacturing), ProDrivers (transportation), and Select (general light industrial). Glaser has over 21 years of experience working with companies in the supply chain to develop workforce strategies to attract and retain top contingent talent.